Centre for People, Place & Planet - ECU Strategic Research Centre

Chief Investigators

• Dr Stephanie Godrich
• Prof Amanda Devine
• A/Prof Melissa Stoneham

Funding
$110,910

• Department of Health WA, Research Excellence Award, Future Health Research and Innovation Fund (Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Midwest, Wheatbelt, South West, Great Southern regions)
• Peel Development Commission (Peel region)

Partners

• ECU
• WA Country Health Service (statewide, under Food Community umbrella project)
• Advised and endorsed by Aboriginal governance groups across regional WA.

Description
This project includes a scoping review of international Food Action Groups’ impact on food systems; community and stakeholder focus groups across WA regions; and an external grant application. The scoping review synthesised impact of Food Action Groups on food system issues, internationally. Community and stakeholder focus groups are being held across WA regions, to share international findings, and seek advice regarding whether community and stakeholders need and want to see similar models developed in regional WA, which stakeholders would be involved and how to maximise impacts.

Web Pages

Website
www.foodcommunity.com.au

Facebook
@ecufoodcommunity

Chief Investigators

• A/Prof Janine Joyce
• Prof Pierre Horwitz
• Dr Stephanie Godrich
• Professor Angus Morrison-Saunders
• Dr Mehran Nejati Ajibisheh
• Dr Lucy Hopkins
• Dr Anna Hopkins
• Dr Dave Blake
• Ms Ros Sambell
• Rebecca Voisin

Funding
Centre for People, Place & Planet SEED Funding, $5000

Description
This netnographic study aims to understand the influence of social media in knowledge transfer, innovation, and support for Australian climate resilient agriculture. This is an approach that an approach to farming that uses soil conservation as the entry point to regenerate and contribute to the social and economic dimensions of sustainable food production.

Transcripts of You Tube clips and comments were analysed for themes according to Braun and Clarke’s (2022).

Chief Investigators

• Dr Stephanie Godrich
• Prof Amanda Devine
• A/Prof Melissa Stoneham

Funding
Healthway, $541,709

Partners

• ECU
• WA Country Health Service
• Wicked Lab
• Public Health Advocacy Institute
• Advised and endorsed by Aboriginal governance groups across regional WA
• Guided by a statewide advisory group comprised of local government, state government, and community stakeholders.

Description
Food Community aims to identify, map, evaluate, and strengthen initiatives supporting physical, social, and economic access to food in regional Western Australia. This is the first government-funded, whole-of-state systems change project in Australia. We are using a Systemic Innovation Lab approach, underpinned by nine Focus Areas and 36 evidence-based characteristics, which support communities and governments to transition to a new and better way of addressing food security. This place-based project works in collaboration with regional communities and food security stakeholders.

Publications

1. Rewa, J., Devine, A., Godrich, S. (2021). Evaluating the impact of a community- based food security project: The value in facilitating collaboration and understanding. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. doi:10.1002/hpja.502.
2. Godrich, S., Stoneham, M., Edmunds, M., Devine, A. (2020). South West Food Community: how government and community initiatives are supporting systemic change towards enhanced food security. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 44(2), 129-136. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12975.
3. Rewa, J., Devine, A., Godrich, S. (2020). South West Food Community: understanding systemic change, and its associated challenges and successes, among food security projects. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 44(6), 493-501. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.13046.
4. Rewa, J., Devine, A., Godrich, S. (2020). Food community: Understanding community needs for a food security website to support rural and remote Western Australians. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2020, 1-9. doi:10.1002/hpja.433.
5. Godrich, S.L., Payet, J., Brealey, D., Edmunds, M., Stoneham, M., Devine, A. (2019). South West Food Community: A place-based pilot study to understand the food security system. Nutrients – Nutrition and Vulnerable Groups special issue, 11(4), 1-12. doi:10.3390/nu10111603.

Web Pages

Website
www.foodcommunity.com.au

Facebook
@ecufoodcommunity

Chief Investigators

• Dr Dave Blake
• Prof Pierre Horwitz

Funding
Ian Potter Foundation, 2023-2028, $879,816

Partners

• Project is co-led by Edith Cowan University and the University of WA
• Guided by Pibulmun and Minang Noongar Elders
• Collaboration between university scientists, managers, and community members, including the Department of Biodiversity, Conversation and Attractions, the Western Australian Museum and the Walpole-Nornalup National Park Association.

Description
This project includes knowledge of peatlands held by the Pibulmun and Minang people, and scientific understandings of geodiversity, biodiversity and hydrology of peatlands. Together this knowledge will be used to design management strategies to conserve peatlands.

Chief Investigators

• Prof Pierre Horwitz
• Dr Dave Blake
• Dr Konrad Miotlinski
• A/Prof Mary Boyce

Funding
Water Corporation,  2019-2023,  $825,000

Partners

• Mrs Jacquie Bellhouse
• Dr Amanda Mitchell and Dr Andrew Bath
• Water Corporation
• Stakeholder Reference Group with representatives from government agencies and community groups.

Description
This project seeks to improve the capabilities of models to predict possible impacts, identify risks and hotspots for water quality and erosion concerns, and make risk based decisions in regards to the catchments and assets in fire risk areas. The project also aims to further strengthen a catchment manager’s ability to appropriately react to fire events with correct mitigation/recovery activities.

Publications

1. Tshering, K., Miotlinski, K., Blake, D., Boyce, M., Bath, A., Do Carmo Carvalho, A., Horwitz, P. (2023). Effect Of Fire On Characteristics Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Forested Catchments In The Mediterranean Biome: A Review. Water Research, 230, 119490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2022.119490.
2. Miotliński, K., Tshering, K., Boyce, M. C., Blake, D., & Horwitz, P. (2023). Simulated temperatures of forest fires affect water solubility in soil and litter. Ecological Indicators, 150, 110236.

Chief Investigators

• PhD candidate: Rebecca Voisin
• Supervisors: Professor Amanda Devine, Dr Stephanie Godrich, Ms Ros Sambell, Professor Pierre Horwitz, Dr Katherine Cullerton (UQ)

Funding
HDR Research Training Scholarship, $33,000 pa over 2.5 years

Description
Rapid transformations to sustainable agriculture that meets more-than-human needs are required. To support agricultural transformation, benchmarking and measurements of key sustainability indicators is required. Many agricultural metrics incorporate the three-pillar model of sustainability, including environment, economic and social. It is argued that a more comprehensive framing is required to consider other aspects integral to equitable sustainability including health, culture, and governance. A range of comprehensive sustainability metrics have been identified through a scoping review, and an advisory panel will be established to guide the place-based relevance and implementation of a sustainability measurement system in southern Western Australian horticultural operations.